Now that you have your server, we will need to set up access to it, so our developers can install the iPoint software on your server. All we need at this step from you is a call to our 1-800-535-4101, and visit our sharing website, http://www.ipointsupport.com website to set up the initial connection through our screen connect software. After we make that connection, you can get on with your day, and we will take it from there!
Typical Duration: 3 – 5 hours
The iPoint Deployment Team will log into your server and get the initial setup complete.
Network Requirements:
In order for your staff members to access the data stored on your server, an internet connection is required. Additionally, there are some network requirements that must be addressed prior to the setup and use of the software.
- Ports: 443, 5003 must be port forwarded to the local IP address of the server. (TCP only)
- Port 443 is primarily used for web services (e.g. E-Signatures on Proposals, Customer Notifications, CC Processing, etc.), inserting files into iPoint, and running iPoint updates.
- Port 5003 is used to access iPoint remotely
- Do I have to forward ports if I use a VPN?
- A VPN would only allow you access to iPoint remotely without port 5003. Port 443 would still need to be forwarded
- NAT Loopback needs to be enabled. NAT Loopback is a feature in many consumer routers which permits the access of a service via the public IP address from inside the local network
- WAN Speed: 5MB upload or greater
Battery Backup
Your server should be connected to a battery backup. Power surges and outages are one of the biggest culprits creating data corruption. A battery backup is intended to provide enough power to safely shut down the server during a power outage. It is not designed to power the server through a multi-hour blackout. Properly configured, the iPoint database will be closed correctly and the server shut down helping avoid damaged data.
Data Backup
It goes without saying that backing up your data is a critical task that many of us neglect. We’ll say “I’ll get around to it someday.” And “someday” is usually the day after your hard drive crashes!
We strongly encourage you to backup your data on a regular basis. There are a number of cloud-based backup solutions that can automate the process so you don’t have to worry about it. Just be sure you check it on a regular basis to ensure that the backups are working properly.
Part of your monthly fee to iPoint includes a backup of your iPoint data on the server. So, we provide some redundancy to your data backup plan. After all, you can never have too many backups! But please understand that all we are backing up is the iPoint data. If you want anything else backed up, you’ll need to make arrangements to do that on your own.
Yes, this section is repeated elsewhere in the manual. That is because backups are REALLY important and we don’t want you to miss this reminder!
iPoint Files to Back Up
We recommend 1TB or larger SSD or HDD for Database and Backup Storage.
The files you’ll want are backups of the iPoint file (will be an .fmp12 file) and the Containers files (item images, custom template graphics, docs, media, any where in iPoint you can drag a file in). They are listed below. (Also, we recommend 1TB or larger SSD or HDD for Database and Backup storage)
The Most Important folders to Back Up:
- C > FMS > Back Ups > Online
- D > FMS > Containers
- If you don’t have D drive, the Containers folder should be in the C drive or another secondary drive.
Additional Back Up folders you may choose to add for extra protection
- D> FMS > Back Ups>Daily
- D> FMS > Back Ups>Weekly
DO NOT BACKUP
- C > FMS > Database Files
- This is where you’re live iPoint file lives and backing that up can cause issues
- D > FMS > Backups > Progressives
- These are backups taken every 5 minutes. The reason to not back these up offsite is that it takes time to backup a file (often more than 5 minutes) and so your machine would always be
backing up and you would see performance degradation in iPoint.